Who Was Alive in 2017

Stan LeeAge 95

1922–2018 · Film & Entertainment

Co-created Spider-Man, X-Men, Marvel

James WatsonAge 89

1928–present · Science & Invention

Co-discovered the structure of DNA

Noam ChomskyAge 89

1928–present · Philosophy & Thought

Father of modern linguistics, political activist

Tu YouyouAge 87

1930–present · Science & Invention

Discovered artemisinin, Nobel Prize in Medicine

Desmond TutuAge 86

1931–2021 · Activism & Social Change

Anti-apartheid cleric, Nobel Peace Prize

Toni MorrisonAge 86

1931–2019 · Literature

Beloved, Nobel Prize in Literature

Yoko OnoAge 84

1933–present · Art

Avant-garde artist, peace activist

Wole SoyinkaAge 83

1934–present · Literature

First African Nobel laureate in Literature

Jane GoodallAge 83

1934–present · Science & Invention

World's foremost expert on chimpanzees

Dalai LamaAge 82

1935–present · Philosophy & Thought

Tibetan spiritual leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Woody AllenAge 82

1935–present · Film & Entertainment

Annie Hall, prolific filmmaker

Pope FrancisAge 81

1936–2025 · Philosophy & Thought

First pope from the Americas

Francis Ford CoppolaAge 78

1939–present · Film & Entertainment

The Godfather trilogy, Apocalypse Now

PeléAge 77

1940–2022 · Sports

The King of Football, 3 World Cups

Bob DylanAge 76

1941–present · Music

Blowin' in the Wind, Nobel Prize in Literature

Aretha FranklinAge 75

1942–2018 · Music

Queen of Soul, Respect

Stephen HawkingAge 75

1942–2018 · Science & Invention

Black holes, A Brief History of Time

Billie Jean KingAge 74

1943–present · Sports

Tennis champion, gender equality advocate

Aung San Suu KyiAge 72

1945–present · Activism & Social Change

Myanmar democracy leader, Nobel laureate

Steven SpielbergAge 71

1946–present · Film & Entertainment

Jaws, Schindler's List, greatest blockbuster director

Haruki MurakamiAge 68

1949–present · Literature

Norwegian Wood, surreal modern fiction

Oprah WinfreyAge 63

1954–present · Film & Entertainment

Media mogul, cultural icon

Ai WeiweiAge 60

1957–present · Art

Chinese dissident artist, Sunflower Seeds

Rigoberta MenchúAge 58

1959–present · Activism & Social Change

Indigenous rights leader, Nobel Peace Prize

Wayne GretzkyAge 56

1961–present · Sports

The Great One, greatest ice hockey player

Barack ObamaAge 56

1961–present · Politics & Leadership

44th US President, first African American president

Michael JordanAge 54

1963–present · Sports

Greatest basketball player of all time

Jeff BezosAge 53

1964–present · Business & Industry

Founded Amazon, space entrepreneur

Elon MuskAge 46

1971–present · Business & Industry

Tesla, SpaceX, tech entrepreneur

BanksyAge 43

1974–present · Art

Anonymous street artist, subversive murals

Kobe BryantAge 39

1978–2020 · Sports

NBA legend, Mamba Mentality

Roger FedererAge 36

1981–present · Sports

Tennis legend, 20 Grand Slam titles

BeyoncéAge 36

1981–present · Music

Global pop icon, Lemonade

Serena WilliamsAge 36

1981–present · Sports

Greatest female tennis player of all time

Usain BoltAge 31

1986–present · Sports

Fastest man in history

Lionel MessiAge 30

1987–present · Sports

Greatest footballer of all time

Taylor SwiftAge 28

1989–present · Music

Best-selling music artist of the 2020s

Malala YousafzaiAge 20

1997–present · Activism & Social Change

Youngest Nobel Prize laureate, education advocate

Billie EilishAge 16

2001–present · Music

Bad Guy, youngest Album of the Year winner

Greta ThunbergAge 14

2003–present · Activism & Social Change

Youth climate activist, Fridays for Future